Cross Country | 9/5/2026 11:49:00 AM
By
Paul Suellentrop
Nicholas Kipchirchir knew the order for Saturday's JK Gold Classic – team first, then go hard for the finish line.
"Working as a team is something good," he said. "I like pushing each other. 'You need me today. I need you tomorrow.' That is what I like about working as a team."
Kipchirchir, a transfer from Virginia Tech, performed his duties as instructed by coach
Kirk Hunter. He and the other top Shocker runners stayed in the pack for more than three kilometers of the 6-kllometer course at Clapp Cross Country Course. Then Kipchirchir and 2025 All-American Elkana Kipruto broke away.
Kipchirchir placed first with a time of 18 minutes, 01.10 seconds. Kipruto placed second at 18:02.96 with
Kelvin Kipyego third (18:30.96),
Bennett Meoli in fourth (18:45.92) and
Jacob Meyers sixth (18:52.08).
In the 5-kilometer women's race, WSU's
Vivien Kipkorir placed first with a time of 17:33.72 with teammates
Francesca Alvarado third (17:58.97) and freshman
Irene Andujar Martinez fourth (18:44.72).
Isabelle Hartnett placed seventh (19:19.51).
The Shockers won both team titles against field of junior college, NAIA and NCAA Division II opponents.
The JK Gold Classic serves as a training race for the bigger ones later in the fall. Hunter wants to build that teamwork and strengthen competition for the scoring spots behind his top runners in American Conference and NCAA regional meets.
"My top guys held back and helped everybody else," Hunter said. "That is going to help us later in the year."
That is why runners such as Meoli and Hartnett stood out to Hunter.
"Great race today (for Hartnett), very competitive," he said. "That will be a big deal for our team as we go through the year."
Every scorer is a big deal for the men's team, which is picked third in the American Conference and received two first-place votes from coaches. With Kipruto, the 2025 conference champion, and Kipyego returning, the addition of Kipchirchir could put the Shockers in position to challenge for the top of the conference. At Virginia Tech, he finished 20
th in the ACC and 17
th in the NCAA Southeast Region meets.
"He and (Kipruto) are going to be training together a lot," Hunter said. "They're equal in talent and there's going to be some spectacular workouts with those two."
Kipchirchir and Kipruto are friends from their high school days in Kenya. He watched Kipruto's All-American performance last fall and is chasing that same goal as a Shocker.
"We keep pushing each other," Kipchirchir said.
Kipkorir, a sophomore from Kenya, joined the Shockers last spring for track and field season. She finished second in the 1,500 in the American Conference outdoor championship with a time of 4:27.68.
The Shockers are off until Sept. 25 when the competition heats up at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Mo. Pre-Nationals and the American Championship follow in October with the NCAA Midwest Regional on Nov. 13.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
Season tickets are on sale now, and season ticket renewals are available as well. To purchase, visit
GoShockers.com/Tickets, dial 316-978-FANS (3267) or stop by the Shocker Ticket Office, located inside Charles Koch Arena, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
